HEARTLAND ROCK: Sean Anthony Sullivan talks Seger, Springsteen and growing up in Michigan

Sean Anthony Sullivan is a local singer-songwriter who’s equally inspired by the Rolling Stones’ “Exile on Main St.” as he is by Bob Seger’s “Mainstreet.” Sullivan, 41, chatted with City Pulse about the Rust Belt rock style he’s honed over the last 25 years and five albums. The troubadour’s latest release, the “Distilled” EP, is streaming now. Backed by bassist Casey DeMott and drummer Luke Lindsay, Sullivan performs Saturday (March 16) at Mac’s Bar.

I hear some Bruce Springsteen and Bob Seger in your records. Are you a fan?

Sean Anthony Sullivan: My true driving force in learning guitar at a young age was to further my songwriting. Artists like Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, Steve Earle, Springsteen, Seger and Bob Dylan enamored me. Those artists could write poetry and tell a story in an unshakeable and intimate fashion. They could make you feel the words within and the emotions behind those songs.

You and Seger are both Michiganders — does that play into your connection to his songs?

Being from Michigan, the Seger connection is so strong, woven through the fabric of this region. Who can watch a Chevy truck driving without thinking of “Like a Rock”? For me, the moment as a kid when I first heard “Old Time Rock & Roll” amplified through the speakers at the roller skating rink was a pivotal moment. It was the first time I can recall hearing rock ‘n’ roll at that volume level in such a space, and it changed me.

You grew up in the Lansing area and recently moved back, but you spent years in Oregon, correct?

After graduating from Michigan State University, I made my way to the West Coast for an opportunity to work as a software engineer in the video game industry. I spent a good decade in that industry, and now I’m building platforms in the education space. Now that I’m back in Michigan with my family, when I’m not playing music or working in the studio, I’m just enjoying being here in the community, whether finding a new beach, taking in the Lansing Symphony or going to Red Wings games.

What first inspired you to become a musician?

I’ve played piano as long as I could read and write, starting at 6 years old. My dad was the director of bands in Charlotte for the entirety of my childhood, so I grew up in the band room and all things around that. I was exposed to everything, including his approaches to composing and arranging music. I even earned some spare cash by entering musical scores into the computer so they could be printed and published.

Did your father play music around the house?

Back then, your music collection was the records of your parents, so for me, that was a healthy diet of the Beatles, Traffic and promotional vinyl of marching band music. Hearing marching band arrangements of songs like Huey Lewis’ “The Power of Love” taught me a lot about what makes a song great and a melody stick.

Is that what drew you to the guitar?

I grew up listening to horn bands and was obsessed with Chicago. I would say it was the song “25 or 6 to 4” that made me want to play guitar — the main primal guitar riff, almost Black Sabbath-esque in nature, and the explosive lead guitar parts and how they interweave with the horns. I was hooked on what a guitar could do and sound like because of Terry Kath. He is to me what Jimi Hendrix or Eddie Van Halen are to many guitar players. Additionally, my dad would play “Johnny B. Goode” on his guitar, and the way he’d make that Chuck Berry riff sing, the way those guitar speakers felt hitting my chest, I was obsessed with the feeling.

How soon did you start recording tracks?

My dad taught me how to record music in his home studio as I got older. He taught me how to use tape, including old-school editing with a razor blade, and run mixing consoles. I’ve been off and running ever since.

What’s been inspiring your lyrics these days?

My last record was largely written and recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was an exhalation and a chance to cope with things I was feeling or witnessing. Coming out of that fog, my writing has themes of taking on life head-on and the whole “amor fati” philosophy of resiliency and renaissance. The attitude of not compromising but embracing the urgency of life and going after what’s important, but these songs approach it in a way that’s not too heavy.

Are your live shows all originals, or do you work in covers?

We treat our shows like a celebration of rock ‘n’ roll. It’s a chance to all get in a room and share that love of music. We want to connect, sing together and forget about whatever heavy things are consuming us. We treat each show a little differently and mix it up depending on the room and the crowd. We like to throw in familiar tunes, sometimes as part of a larger medley. Covers are a great chance to tip our cap to artists we appreciate and who have influenced us.

For updates, follow Sullivan at facebook.com/seananthonysullivan.